Hot, sandy beaches and palm trees gently rustling in the breeze – just a typical April day in Rochester? Yes! If you attended the Broaden Your Horizons: Caribbean event!

Over a delicious lunch of jerk chicken, rice & beans, and green beans, five of our students shared the culture, history, and traditions of their Caribbean roots with 200 fellow Simon students, faculty, and staff.

Roger Cordero Mueses, MBA '10, kicked off the event with the Dominican Republic. He talked about their rich musical history and the island sounds of Merengue and Bachata. Baseball is the national sport and the Dominican has exported such baseball greats as Sammy Sosa, Pedro Martinez, and Juan Marichal.

Byron Barnes, MBA '10, taught us a little Haitian Creole and shared some beautiful mountain scenery from the "Pearl of the Antilles," also known as Haiti. Will Reynolds, MBA '09, taught us about the national products of Guyana (sugar cane, timber, rice, fish, gold, and diamonds) and reminded us that Guyana is not the same country as Ghana!

Puerto Rico was up next and Myrdna Vargas, MBA '10, shared beautiful photos of her home country and explained how the people there are made up of Spanish, Taino, and African heritage. Salsa, Merengue, and Reggaeton is the music you will hear in Puerto Rico. Last, we got to experience the bright colors and excitement of Carnival in Trinidad & Tobago. Sean Senhouse, MBA '10, showed us pictures from Carnival and told us that "liming" (the art of congregating with friends and would-be-friends) is a favorite pastime there.

We are truly very fortunate, here at Simon, to have over 33 countries represented in our MBA program. The Broaden Your Horizons events give us the opportunity to learn about these different countries and regions and expand our knowledge and perspective. I want to give kudos to the students who presented the Caribbean to us and I look forward to the next BYH at Simon!